73.6% Say They Now Find It Easier to Speak to Foreign VisitorsA · FULL TRANSLATION
# foreign tourists# local residents# social environment
Key Points
- An English-learning service surveyed 390 of its members.
- 73.6% said they now find it easier to start a conversation with foreign visitors.
Analysis
The common complaint from visitors to Japan is not the language barrier itself but that no one starts the conversation. In a survey of 390 members of an English-learning service, 73.6% said they now find it easier to approach foreign visitors — and the respondents are on the Japanese side, which is the point.
For lodging and restaurant operators, whether front-line staff will open their mouths decides the split between complaints and good reviews. Tools can cover vocabulary; willingness they cannot.